Test your fact-checking skills

These quick quizzes will help you start to learn how to spot suspicious posts.

Try to tell which stories are true or false in the News Quiz.

Take the News Quiz

Video games

One feature common to most video games and all virtual worlds is an avatar, a character that represents the player within the world. In nearly all worlds the appearance of these avatars can be customized (though often this is only possible for paying users, while those who use the free version are stuck with the “default” versions).

Phones and other media are a big part of kids’ lives, and they can be a healthy part too. Here are some ways that you can make sure your kids get the best possible start when using media and digital devices.
Screens and other media are a big part of kids’ lives, and they can be a healthy part too. Here are some ways that you can make sure your kids get the best possible start when using media and digital devices.

I’m at the age where I say, ‘when I was younger…’ or ‘back in my day...’ far more than I expected to and it’s often about technology. I don’t know when this transition happened, but here I am. It just started to come out. I now frequently regale the kids with stories of yesteryear as every generation before me has done.  

Now is a good time to think about how we are creating, curating and engaging with online content.  

Digital Citizen Day is October 25, 2023, and Media Literacy Week is October 23-27, 2023. MediaSmarts is focusing on spreading positivity online as a part of their campaign.

Factors to keep in mind when prioritizing kidsmedia health

Children under two should spend as little time with screen devices as possible, except for video-chats with people they know offline and reading e-books with an adult or sibling.

Guest blog by Patricia Kosseim, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario  

Whether it’s a video doorbell, a speaker with a built-in voice assistant, or even “smart socks” for your baby, these things all have one thing in common: they collect information about you and your family.

How much information they collect, though, is at least partially up to you. Here are some steps you can take to manage your privacy when using smart devices.

So, parents, you may or may not have noticed that Taylor Swift has announced a tour that will in fact include six Toronto dates.

Ohhhh, you have noticed? Because you tried to get nearly impossible-to-get tickets like 38 million other people did?

Yeah, you aren’t alone.